


Nightlife

by storiesfortravellers



Category: Chuck (TV)
Genre: Domestic, Established Relationship, Future Fic, M/M, Morally Ambiguous Character, Post-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-20
Updated: 2013-08-20
Packaged: 2017-12-24 02:41:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/934290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storiesfortravellers/pseuds/storiesfortravellers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They've been together for years, but Casey still has secrets. </p><p>For this prompt at comment-fic on lj: Casey /or& Chuck, Killing for the Company</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nightlife

Casey walked into their house silently. It was three in the morning; Chuck and the kids would be asleep.

Casey passed by the family portrait over the fireplace, an anniversary present from Chuck just last month. It was hard to believe they had been married for 10 years, and working together at their own company even longer.

He went into the bathroom, closed the door, then turned on the light, wincing at its brightness. He inspected himself in the mirror: no blood, no obviously torn clothing. He washed his hands as well as he could, then, knowing full well Chuck would smell the gunpowder anyway.

It would be okay, though. Casey had long ago told Chuck that going to the shooting range for some good old-fashioned target practice was the only thing that helped Casey’s insomnia. It wasn’t true, of course, and Chuck probably knew it wasn’t true. But Chuck wasn’t that same kid he was once; the man Casey married knew when to let sleeping dogs lie.

Casey turned off the sink and stared into the mirror. Maybe Chuck thought Casey was taking side gigs, that he couldn’t say no when Director Beckman called. Maybe Chuck thought that Casey just liked high-risk jobs and couldn’t get those by working with Chuck.

Quite possibly, Chuck had figured out the truth: that someone from their past had resurfaced, some old enemy who was sure to want revenge, and Casey needed to put them down.

Casey leaned on the sink, his muscles tired from the night’s work. His lower back throbbed, and his knees weren’t what they used to be. He knew there was a time when Chuck would have been horrified if he even suspected what Casey really did. In a strange way, Casey missed that Chuck. The innocent one who trusted Casey completely, who felt safe in his arms even when Casey was prepared to shoot Chuck as soon as he got the orders. But a Chuck who was that naïve wouldn’t be able to build a life with Casey. Casey had gotten softer, but Chuck had gotten harder, and that was the only reason they made it work.

Casey sighed and walked out of the bathroom, turning off the lights. He trod slowly into their bedroom. He saw Chuck lying there, snoring lightly, hugging a pillow, and he had to smile. He climbed into bed slowly, but Chuck still woke up. 

“Hey, gorgeous,” Chuck mumbled, still mostly asleep, and leaned into Casey’s body as he settled under the blankets. 

“No pet names, remember,” Casey whispered gruffly.

“Sure thing, Colonel Hottie,” Chuck said and Casey snorted a half-laugh.

“Go back to sleep, Chuck,” Casey said softly then, kissing him on the temple. 

“Always sleep better when you’re home,” Chuck mumbled and fell back into snoring. Casey wondered for a moment if there was another meaning there – some subtle criticism or suspicion of Casey’s whereabouts.

But Chuck was breathing steadily next to him, the warmth of his body a salve to Casey’s tired bones. Casey allowed the exhaustion to seep across him, to weigh down his eyelids and pin his head to his pillow. Maybe Chuck would make him talk about it. Maybe Chuck wouldn’t. Either way, Chuck would find a way to live with it. Maybe that wasn’t a good thing, but to Casey, it seemed a good bet. It seemed, almost, like safety.


End file.
